additional data on smallmouth population

[Jim Spriggs]

Smallmouth enthusiasts,

The MDC shared the most recent electrofishing data with me, which I provide here.  They haven't written the report yet (due out next year), but the figure and tables provide most of the information we would want.  The decrease in catch rates per hour in 2015 are due to a change in the method they used for sampling the fish rather than a reduction in the fish population.

Also, I went fishing yesterday on the middle Meramec, and I caught only small fish in or near current.  It was a rather slow day, though a beautiful one.

 

Fall Electrofishing - Meramec - Crawford & Franklin Co. Smallmouth Bass
	2015	Hwy 8	Riverview	Huzzah	Sapp	St Park	Sand Fd	Plum Fd	Redhorse	River Round	2015 Average
Electrofishing time (hrs)		2.19	1.92	3.32	3.91	5.53	6.09	3.98	3.32	3.53	33.79
Sample size	total	35	101	59	50	89	65	51	26	12	488
Size Parameters (%)	PSD	52	49	24	43	52	26	31.4	25.0	54.5	41
	RSD12	48	34	19	26	38	12	20.0	10.0	36.4	28
	RSD15	4	7	5	11	10	0	2.9	10.0	27.3	7
	RSD18	0	1	0	3	6	0	2.9	0.0	9.1	2
Catch rates (fish/hr) total		16	53	18	13	16	11	13	8	3	14
	>7"	11	45	11	9	13	7	9	6	3	11

 

 

  

 

Pooled	2008-2012	Shortbend	Hwy8	FishingSpring	HuzzahConf	Sappington	StatePark	SandFd	PlumFd	Redhorse	Riverround	Total
Electrofishing time (hrs)		2.05	3.4	4.9	5.53	10.3	12.77	11.15	6.5	9.12	13.9	79.7
Sample size	total	92	173	192	182	169	225	167	105	205	158	1668
Size Parameters	PSD	30.6%	50.4%	51.3%	30.9%	26.1%	33.3%	29.6%	34.9%	31.0%	34.6%	36.1%
	RSD12	24.5%	43.1%	38.8%	22.3%	15.1%	20.2%	15.7%	20.5%	16.9%	29.1%	25.2%
	RSD15	12.2%	16.1%	10.6%	9.4%	5.0%	6.0%	4.3%	4.8%	4.9%	7.9%	8.1%
	RSD18	0.0%	1.5%	1.9%	0.7%	0.8%	3.0%	1.7%	3.6%	0.7%	0.8%	1.5%
Catch rates (fish/hr)	Total	44.9	50.4	39.2	32.9	16.4	17.6	15.0	16.2	22.5	11.4	20.9
	>7"	23.9	39.9	32.7	25.1	11.5	13.2	10.3	12.8	15.6	9.1	15.5

 

 

  

Pooled	2002-2006	FishingSpring	HuzzahConf	Sappington	StatePark	SandFd	PlumFd	Redhorse	Riverround	Total
Electrofishing time (hrs)		7.4	7.8	11	11.9	14.3	11.8	12.3	14.8	91.3
Sample size	total	448	189	267	229	348	207	306	258	2252
Size Parameters	PSD	49.9%	32.8%	25.0%	28.0%	33.3%	32.1%	26.4%	25.0%	34.0%
	RSD12	35.9%	24.4%	13.9%	19.9%	22.1%	19.0%	19.4%	17.8%	23.5%
	RSD15	9.7%	10.7%	5.6%	9.9%	7.5%	8.8%	7.9%	7.2%	8.4%
	RSD18	0.5%	1.5%	0.0%	5.0%	2.1%	2.9%	0.5%	2.6%	1.6%
Catch rates (fish/hr)	Total	60.5	24.2	24.3	19.2	24.3	17.5	24.9	17.4	24.7
	>7"	53.1	16.8	16.4	13.5	16.8	11.6	17.6	10.3	17.6

 

 

[405z06]

Not used to looking at these, is there a legend? PSD? RSD12? Etc?

[Jim Spriggs]

RSD stands for relative stock density, and it's the percentage of fish, for all those fish over 7", that are greater than or equal to a target size. For example, RSD15 is the share of fish (for all fish bigger than 7") greater than or equal to 15".  

 

PSD is proportional stock density, which is the ratio of quality size (>=11") fish to stock size fish (>=7")